Q & A with Aar
Jun 10, 2013 11:44:56 GMT -5
Post by greeme on Jun 10, 2013 11:44:56 GMT -5
1) You have been vocal lately about being a better gm than DBW. What makes a great gm in your eyes? Who are the top 5 gms currently?
I think that DBW is a consistently good GM. He's almost always in the mix (with the exception of the past few seasons). He made some big trades during the creation draft and built a team that was really solid, but underachieved in my opinion.
He's had three finals appearances and I've won three titles in a row.
The reason why I feel that I'm a better GM than DBW is that I'm a balls to the wall GM, whereas he's a GM that looks for consistency. My philosophy is do or die, either we're a contender or we're rebuilding. I will NEVER settle for complacency or being a treadmill team. I strive for greatness.
Early on in the league, I was disinterested because I was on a family trip during the creation draft and traded off my picks for horrible value so that I could enjoy my vacation. I regret nothing
I'm not trying to be cocky and I never said that I was a better GM than DBW, I simply said that I wasn't a worse GM than him.
Right now, people will point to Acy as the reason for our success, but let's keep in mind that I discovered Acy, gave him that MLE deal then foolishly traded him and gave up a boatload to get him back.
So the top 5 gms are aar, aar, aar, aar, dbw?
2) Within 3-4 years the first gms will hit 1000 wins. Who will get there first? Do you think that it is an accomplishment to get there first or it means nothing?
DBW will get there first and I wouldn't say that it means nothing. Look at the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, they are viewed as two of the best franchises because they're always in the mix.
I'm more concerned with rings than I am wins and I'd rather have a .450 career record with six rings than a .650 career record with three rings.
The only 4 teams with a shot are the suns (849 wins), Celtics (837 wins), Pistons (822 wins) and Nets (808 wins). My guess is that Skillz will get his team on track next year and they will get there first.
3) Why is it so hard to get fair value for a superstar? It seems like nobody is willing to pay the piper but they are more than willing to whine about deals after the fact.
Because only a few GMs have the foresight to put together a good enough package to acquire one.
For example, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is on the market. I don't have the youth assets to acquire him, but that wouldn't stop me from offering Faried, Austin, Person and picks for him. DBW will never trade him to me, but he won't find a better offer than that.
I gave up a ton for Acy because I knew that I could build a winning team around him.
There are five players that are worth throwing a good package together for right now: Acy, MKG, Rose and Smart. Zeller and Anthony Davis are in the mix as well.
People need to realize how important it is to have a superstar in order to win a championship.
So Acy, MKG, Rose and Smart are 4 and if you add Zeller and Davis then it is 6. not sure where the number 5 came from.
4) I really like the Clips young talent. Is play going to dominate the west for the next decade?
It doesn't help that the West is awful right now, but it really depends on TCs. Stoffer looks like he'll be great, especially if he gets his TOs under control. I'm not sold on Boudreau, Wooden is okay, Kittles will probably get traded and I'm not in love with any of the Clippers' bigs.
Right now, if I'm in the West, I'm terrified of Play getting motivated. This is HIS team now, there's no crutch of saying that he's coasting with Shabazz and Davis.
If Play starts wheeling and dealing and winning deals, he should be able to take over the West without a problem.
You forgot about Ethan Plotkin.
5) Is there any question that Charlie Stoffer was the right choice at the top of the draft?
No. Definitely not. I had Beech ranked above Stoffer and if the Bucks 1st ended up at the top, I probably would have gone with Stoffer because he would've fit my team's needs and he looked relatively safe. Stoffer's notes didn't look great, but he had a good TC and will be a stud.
The only other player that looks like they could end up being better than Stoffer is Aldabert Toppag. I'd beef up his rebounding and let TCs take care of the rest if I had him. He looks really nice.
Beech clearly has high upside and with some AC/RC love and some nice TCs, he could be an all-star as well.
6) Ashes has been mouthing off about not being worried about the Nets. Is anyone going to beat Ashes this year? Any chance he turns this team into a multi year dynasty?
I'm frankly shocked that they're doing this well after trading off Bynum, but it was a necessary move so that they could keep Dakari.
The Bulls have three legit superstars on their team and the only thing keeping them from a surefire dynasty is the amount of talent in the Eastern Conference and Da'Sean Butler's age.
I don't think they'll win 70 this season, but they'll come damn close.
I think that they should be worried about both the Hornets and Nets. I also think that the Heat have the assets to put together a nice team for next season. The Hawks are also a tough matchup if they can figure out their DC and put it altogether for the playoffs.
7) What is going on in the West? It seems that the top 6 teams in the league are in the East. Should teams or gms be realigned to even out the conferences or is it just part of a cycle? Who will get out of the West this year
Realignment is out of the question, things will even out. There was a time where the West had all the talent and the East was horrible.
I think that the Rockets have far and away the best team in the West and should get to the Finals without an issue. Conley is underrated, Oladipo is doing his thing, it's half way through the year and Bynum is averaging 5.1 bpg, which is unreal. They should cruise in the playoffs.
I think that the Spurs are one move from getting out of the west.
8) Any chance the Hawks get cyd? What move do you think that Don needs to make, if any?
If they get CY'd, it'll be unbelievable. There is so much talent on that team.
All that they need is a better point guard and they should be able to get things done. There's just way too much talent on that team.
The problem is that Don is exceptionally stubborn and notoriously hard to deal with, which may end up being his own undoing.
Can't win without a pg. Can't believe that they are trying to get through their cy with Llull. Not to say that they won't make it but why take chances.
9) What happened to Kenneth Faried? Any chance that you bench him and start Vereen?
Faried's numbers are down because there are too many prolific shot blockers around him. If you look at the years where he was Defensive Player of the Year, it was always because he was far and away the best shot blocker on his team.
I'd venture a guess that Faried, Acy, Vereen and James are all 90+ shot blockers. What Faried needs is a team where he can be the definitive defensive anchor and his value will be maximize.
It's all about fit. That's how you ended up getting Rose for so cheap. He was a bad fit on my team and thus his value was a lot lower than it is now. Faried's value is way higher than it is with his current numbers.
He's always averaged 3 bpg or higher, so the only explanation for his lack of defensive output is that the players around him are overshadowing him.
As for benching him, it's a thought, but I think that we're better with him starting and Vereen off the bench. What I may do is make Vereen the top backup at SF to get him some more minutes and see what happens. Faried's post defense rating is clearly higher than Vereen's, so benching him would be a mistake.
10) Who are the three hardest gms to trade with in the league?
1) Bundy - Takes forever to respond, overthinks things, asks for way too much in return. For example, last year, I bounced the idea of trading him Derrick Rose for my 2020, 2021 picks and I think two more picks and he didn't even consider it. Weak.
2) Play - He simply won't trade with me, so I rarely even bother. He's a great GM, don't get me wrong, but he can be a pain in the ass.
3) Don - I trade with him occasionally, but he almost always wants too much back for his players. Constantly overvalues them until someone takes the bait and he wins the deal. Turns down deals that should be obvious to any GM.
11) Who are your five favorite players in this version?
1) Quincy Acy - I really shouldn't have to explain this one.
2) Andrew Bynum - Consistent beast. Absolutely dominant big man. Have never had him on my team, but have worshiped him from afar.
3) Da'Sean Butler - I wish that I would have paid the price for him. He's a sick player.
4) Tim Duncan - Like Bynum, an absolute beast. So dominant. Shocked that he only won four championships.
5) MKG - The only player who comes close to Quincy Acy
I think that DBW is a consistently good GM. He's almost always in the mix (with the exception of the past few seasons). He made some big trades during the creation draft and built a team that was really solid, but underachieved in my opinion.
He's had three finals appearances and I've won three titles in a row.
The reason why I feel that I'm a better GM than DBW is that I'm a balls to the wall GM, whereas he's a GM that looks for consistency. My philosophy is do or die, either we're a contender or we're rebuilding. I will NEVER settle for complacency or being a treadmill team. I strive for greatness.
Early on in the league, I was disinterested because I was on a family trip during the creation draft and traded off my picks for horrible value so that I could enjoy my vacation. I regret nothing
I'm not trying to be cocky and I never said that I was a better GM than DBW, I simply said that I wasn't a worse GM than him.
Right now, people will point to Acy as the reason for our success, but let's keep in mind that I discovered Acy, gave him that MLE deal then foolishly traded him and gave up a boatload to get him back.
So the top 5 gms are aar, aar, aar, aar, dbw?
2) Within 3-4 years the first gms will hit 1000 wins. Who will get there first? Do you think that it is an accomplishment to get there first or it means nothing?
DBW will get there first and I wouldn't say that it means nothing. Look at the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, they are viewed as two of the best franchises because they're always in the mix.
I'm more concerned with rings than I am wins and I'd rather have a .450 career record with six rings than a .650 career record with three rings.
The only 4 teams with a shot are the suns (849 wins), Celtics (837 wins), Pistons (822 wins) and Nets (808 wins). My guess is that Skillz will get his team on track next year and they will get there first.
3) Why is it so hard to get fair value for a superstar? It seems like nobody is willing to pay the piper but they are more than willing to whine about deals after the fact.
Because only a few GMs have the foresight to put together a good enough package to acquire one.
For example, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is on the market. I don't have the youth assets to acquire him, but that wouldn't stop me from offering Faried, Austin, Person and picks for him. DBW will never trade him to me, but he won't find a better offer than that.
I gave up a ton for Acy because I knew that I could build a winning team around him.
There are five players that are worth throwing a good package together for right now: Acy, MKG, Rose and Smart. Zeller and Anthony Davis are in the mix as well.
People need to realize how important it is to have a superstar in order to win a championship.
So Acy, MKG, Rose and Smart are 4 and if you add Zeller and Davis then it is 6. not sure where the number 5 came from.
4) I really like the Clips young talent. Is play going to dominate the west for the next decade?
It doesn't help that the West is awful right now, but it really depends on TCs. Stoffer looks like he'll be great, especially if he gets his TOs under control. I'm not sold on Boudreau, Wooden is okay, Kittles will probably get traded and I'm not in love with any of the Clippers' bigs.
Right now, if I'm in the West, I'm terrified of Play getting motivated. This is HIS team now, there's no crutch of saying that he's coasting with Shabazz and Davis.
If Play starts wheeling and dealing and winning deals, he should be able to take over the West without a problem.
You forgot about Ethan Plotkin.
5) Is there any question that Charlie Stoffer was the right choice at the top of the draft?
No. Definitely not. I had Beech ranked above Stoffer and if the Bucks 1st ended up at the top, I probably would have gone with Stoffer because he would've fit my team's needs and he looked relatively safe. Stoffer's notes didn't look great, but he had a good TC and will be a stud.
The only other player that looks like they could end up being better than Stoffer is Aldabert Toppag. I'd beef up his rebounding and let TCs take care of the rest if I had him. He looks really nice.
Beech clearly has high upside and with some AC/RC love and some nice TCs, he could be an all-star as well.
6) Ashes has been mouthing off about not being worried about the Nets. Is anyone going to beat Ashes this year? Any chance he turns this team into a multi year dynasty?
I'm frankly shocked that they're doing this well after trading off Bynum, but it was a necessary move so that they could keep Dakari.
The Bulls have three legit superstars on their team and the only thing keeping them from a surefire dynasty is the amount of talent in the Eastern Conference and Da'Sean Butler's age.
I don't think they'll win 70 this season, but they'll come damn close.
I think that they should be worried about both the Hornets and Nets. I also think that the Heat have the assets to put together a nice team for next season. The Hawks are also a tough matchup if they can figure out their DC and put it altogether for the playoffs.
7) What is going on in the West? It seems that the top 6 teams in the league are in the East. Should teams or gms be realigned to even out the conferences or is it just part of a cycle? Who will get out of the West this year
Realignment is out of the question, things will even out. There was a time where the West had all the talent and the East was horrible.
I think that the Rockets have far and away the best team in the West and should get to the Finals without an issue. Conley is underrated, Oladipo is doing his thing, it's half way through the year and Bynum is averaging 5.1 bpg, which is unreal. They should cruise in the playoffs.
I think that the Spurs are one move from getting out of the west.
8) Any chance the Hawks get cyd? What move do you think that Don needs to make, if any?
If they get CY'd, it'll be unbelievable. There is so much talent on that team.
All that they need is a better point guard and they should be able to get things done. There's just way too much talent on that team.
The problem is that Don is exceptionally stubborn and notoriously hard to deal with, which may end up being his own undoing.
Can't win without a pg. Can't believe that they are trying to get through their cy with Llull. Not to say that they won't make it but why take chances.
9) What happened to Kenneth Faried? Any chance that you bench him and start Vereen?
Faried's numbers are down because there are too many prolific shot blockers around him. If you look at the years where he was Defensive Player of the Year, it was always because he was far and away the best shot blocker on his team.
I'd venture a guess that Faried, Acy, Vereen and James are all 90+ shot blockers. What Faried needs is a team where he can be the definitive defensive anchor and his value will be maximize.
It's all about fit. That's how you ended up getting Rose for so cheap. He was a bad fit on my team and thus his value was a lot lower than it is now. Faried's value is way higher than it is with his current numbers.
He's always averaged 3 bpg or higher, so the only explanation for his lack of defensive output is that the players around him are overshadowing him.
As for benching him, it's a thought, but I think that we're better with him starting and Vereen off the bench. What I may do is make Vereen the top backup at SF to get him some more minutes and see what happens. Faried's post defense rating is clearly higher than Vereen's, so benching him would be a mistake.
10) Who are the three hardest gms to trade with in the league?
1) Bundy - Takes forever to respond, overthinks things, asks for way too much in return. For example, last year, I bounced the idea of trading him Derrick Rose for my 2020, 2021 picks and I think two more picks and he didn't even consider it. Weak.
2) Play - He simply won't trade with me, so I rarely even bother. He's a great GM, don't get me wrong, but he can be a pain in the ass.
3) Don - I trade with him occasionally, but he almost always wants too much back for his players. Constantly overvalues them until someone takes the bait and he wins the deal. Turns down deals that should be obvious to any GM.
11) Who are your five favorite players in this version?
1) Quincy Acy - I really shouldn't have to explain this one.
2) Andrew Bynum - Consistent beast. Absolutely dominant big man. Have never had him on my team, but have worshiped him from afar.
3) Da'Sean Butler - I wish that I would have paid the price for him. He's a sick player.
4) Tim Duncan - Like Bynum, an absolute beast. So dominant. Shocked that he only won four championships.
5) MKG - The only player who comes close to Quincy Acy
